Paul m



(No Model.)

P.M.REAGAN.

y GAR GQUPLING.

N0. 589,140. y l PatentedAug. 3 1, 1897.

mlmk/ C l) E UNITED `STAT-ESE PATENT intron.

fPAUL M. REACAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE HINSONMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,140, dated August31, 1897. Application tiled January 11, 1897. Serial No. 618,771. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t muy concern:

Beit known that LYPAUL M. REAGAN, of Chicago, in the county. of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to car-couplings of that class in which pivotedinterlocking knuckles are mounted on the draw-heads,

which knuckles are provided' with locking' tongues or tails which areadapted to engage with locking-dete'nts which are mounted inthedraw-head and operate to hold the knuckles from outward movement when intheir interl-ocked position. v

In the use of couplings of the kind mentioned it is found that throughthe jarriug'of the parts while the knuckles are under strain thelocking-detent is liable to creep or gradually shift its position untilfinally disengaged from the tail of the knuckle, with the result ofreleasing the coupling; and the'object of my invention is to provide asecondary locking device by which the locking-detent will be positivelylocked and held from movement exceptat such time as the detent shall bemoved by the actionlof the tail of the knuckle thereon in coupling or bythe action ofthe hand in uncoupling.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, andpointed'out in the appended claims. Y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a draw-headcontaining one practical form of vmy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan sectionthereof, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinalsection taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig.3, showing the-parts in changed position. Fig.' 5-is Va detail sectionalso like Fig. 3, but showing still another position of the parts. Fig.6 is a section showing'a modified form of the mainorlocking detent.

First referring to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of thedrawings, A indicates the draw-head, and d the draw-bar, the same beingof the usual form.

B indicates the knuckle, which'is pivoted to the draw-head bya pivot-pino and is provided with a locking tongue or tail B', which is'arrangedgenerally at right angleswith the main or interlocking part of theknuckle and is adapted to 4swing rearwardlyinto the cavity of thedraw-head when the knuckle is in its holding or interlocking position,as usual in such couplings.

C indicates the main or primary lockingdetent, which is adapted to bemoved automatically out of the path of the tail of the knuckle bycontact of said tail therewith as the latter is moving rearwardly orinwardly and which falls in frontof the said tail when the latterreachesits rearward position and therebylocks and holds the tailandknuckle from movement. VSaid detent C-is shown as mounted to swing in avertical plane about a horizontal transverse pivot c, located at therear lower part of the draw-head, the detent extending in an upward andforward inclination to a point above the opene'nd of the draw-head andvstanding` normally in an inclined position across the path' of the tailof the knuckle, so that when said tail is swung rearwardly it willencounter the lower or outer surface of the detent and by its actionthereon will lift the free orouter end of the detent, so as to p assbeneath the same. At the termination of its rearward movement the tailof the knuckle will stand at one side of the detent, which will fallinto or across the path of the tail and thereby lock the same and theknuckle from movement until the detent is moved or lifted byhand torelease the knuckle.

The rear end of the detent is shown as located justabove the. floor orbottom of the cavity ofthe draw-headand the pivot-pin c as extendingthrough the side walls of the cavity and across the latter. The upper orouter end of the detent is'shown as located within a hollow. upwardextension or box A2, preferably cast on the upper part of the drawhead,the downward movement of the detent being limited by vContact withA thefront wall d/ of the said boX, while its upward or backward movementcarries it into the upper and rear part of thebox and adjacent to thetop wall a2 and rear wall a3 thereof.

A springD is applied to throw or hold the Ioo detent normally into itslocked position, said spring being herein shown as made of leaf form andattached rigidly to the rear end of the detent, so as to bear at itsfree end against the floor of the draw-head cavity.

E indicates au auxiliary locking-arm which is pivoted to the detent by apivot-pin e and is adapted to engage with an abutment or shoulder CL4 onthe draw-head in such manner as to lock or hold the detent from movementwhen the latter is in its locked position, said locking-arm serving bothas a means of so locking the detent and as a means through whichhand-power is applied to the detent for the purpose of operating thesame in uncoupling. The locking arm extends rearwardly from its point ofconnection with the 'detent and is so disposed with relation to thelocking-shoulder that by the lifting of the rear end of the armthelatter will be released from the shoulder.

Attached to the forward or pivoted end of the locking-arm E is adepending triparm E, which extends forward 0f the outer or working faceof the detent and in the path of the tail of the knuckle, so that assaid tail moves rearwardly it will encounter and move said trip-arm, andthereby lift the rear end of the locking-arm free from the shoulder a4before the detent itself is struck by said tail. Provision is therebymade for the automatic release of the det-ent in the act of coupling.

In connection with the locking-arm E, arranged as described, actuatingconnections are employed, embracing a link F, which is pivoted to thearm near its rear end and to which is attached a chain f, by which thelink may be connected with an actuating rockshaft or other part adaptedto be operated by the hand in the act of uncoupling. The locking-armbeing arranged to extend rearwardly from its pivotal point, it followsthat when its rear end is pulled upwardly it will be released from thelocking-shoulder and the detent itself will be drawn upwardly orrearwardly, so that by pulling on the chain f not only may the arm bereleased, but the detent itself be drawn out of the path of the tail ofthe knuckle, with the effect of releasing the latter.

A hole a5 for the passage of the locking-arm is made in the top wall d2just forward of the shoulder al, which latter is made close to the saidtop wall, so that the arm E will pass freely through said hole whenreleased from the shoulder and drawn upward for the purpose of releasingthe locking-detent. In connection with the locking-shoulder thusarranged the link F is pivoted to the arm E at a point near its end andbelow Ithe upper edge of the shoulder. It follows from this constructionthat if the link be drawn rearwardly at its upper end its middle partwill act on the edge of the shoulder, as on a fulerum, with the resultof throwing the end of the arm E forwardly and upwardly until free fromthe locking-shoulder. The operation of the link F in such case isclearly shownv in Fig. 5, in which the chain fis shown as drawnhorizontally backward. The bringing of a tension on the chain in thisdirection is only likely to occur in case of the breakage of a draw-baror the attachments which secure the same to the car; but the arrangementof the parts described is of utility in such event, for the reason thatthe rearward draft on the chain (which will be attached to the car) asthe draw-head is carried forward on the breaking of the draw-bar willhave the effect of disconnecting the coupling and releasing the looseneddraw-bar, so as to prevent it from being released and dropped on thetrack.

In Fig. G I have shown a modified form of my invention which is in allrespects like that before described, with the exception that thelocking-detent C is in this instance pivoted at its upper end to thedraw-head, so that its lower rear end (instead of its upper forward end)swings upwardly and backwardly to permit the passage of the tail of theknuckle in the act of coupling.

In the operation of couplings which are without auxiliary or safetylocking devices for the primary locking device or detent C it is foundthat uncoupling will sometimes Oe cur by the gradual movement orcreeping of the said detent under the jarring of the parts and pressureof the tail ol' the knuckle. rlhe liabilityof such occurrence will bebetter understood by consideration of the fact that a slight loosenessof the knuckle on its pivot, combined with the vertical vibrations ofthe draw-heads, will produce vertical oscillations of the tail of theknuckle, and the latter being pressed against the detent and then heldby the strain on the knuckle with such force as to hold the detent fromslipping backward each time it may be moved by the oscillations of thetail it follows that if such oscillations happen to move the detenttoward its unlocked position the uncoupling of the cars by the releaseof the knuckle is very likely to occur. Liability of such an occurrenceis entirely obviated by the use of the secondary or auxiliary lockingdevice described, which holds the detent positively from movement,except in the act of automatic coupling or'of uncoupling by hand, thelocking-arm of the auxiliary locking device in either of these casesbeing moved to release it from engage'- ment with the draw-head and tothereby release the detent and leave the latter freeto be moved beforeany movement of the detent itself takes place.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with a draw-head and pivotedknuckle, of a locking-detent for the knuckle and safety locking-armpivotally eonnected with the detent and adapted to engage a shoulderonthe draw-head and having atriparm which projects into the path of thetail of the knuckle, said locking and trip arms ICO IIO

being constructed to move in the same plane with the detent andconnections .for operat ing the ldetent by hand attached to saidlocking-arm in such position that strain on the said connections willmove said arm to release the same before the detent itself is moved.

2. The combination with a draw-head and apivoted knuckle, of alocking-detent for the knuckle and a safety locking-arm pivotallyconnected with the detent at a point remotev from the pivot of thelatter and adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from a shoulder onthe draw-head by an oscillatory movement of its free end; said arm beingprovided with a part which projects into the path of the tail of theknuckle and means for moving said arm and detent byhand, attached to thearm near the free end of the latter and acting laterally on the same ina direction to disen gage it from the shoulder.

3. The combination with a draw-head and pivoted knuckle, of arearwardlymovable locking-detent for the knuckle, a safety locking-armwhich is pivoted to the detent and extends rearwardly therefrom, saidarm being adapted to engage a shoulder on the drawhead and beingprovided with a part which y projects into the path of the tail of theknuckle and hand actuating connections so attached to the arm that anupward pull thereon will release the rear end of the arm and alsoactuate the detent. v

4. The combination with a draw-head and pivoted knuckle, of arearwardly-movable locking-detent for the knuckle, a safety locking-armpivotally connected with the detent and extending rearwardly therefromand a forwardly-facing abutment or shoulder on the draw-bar adapted toengage the rear end of the arm and from which the same maybe disengagedby. an upward pull.

5. The combination with a draw-head and a pivoted knuckle, of alocking-detent for the knuckle, a safety locking-arm pivoted to thedetent and extending rearwardly therefrom, said arm being provided witha part which extends into the path of the tail of the knuckle, aforwardly-facing abutment or shoulder on the draw-head adapted to engagethe rear end of the arm and connections for operating the detent by handcomprising a link which is pivoted to the locking-arm below the saidshoulder or abutment and in such position that a rearward pull on theupper end of the link will force theend of the arm above the saidshoulder.

6. The combination with a draw-head, and a pivoted knuckle, of alocking-detent for the knuckle arranged to swing upwardly and rearn-Wardly, a safety locking-arm pivoted to the upper part of the saiddetent and extending rearwardly therefrom, said arm being pro-VWitnesses:

C. CLARENCE PooLE, CHARLES G. MAsoN.

